User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show. I dont know how many of you have seen PC Gamers Big Book of FREE that's been kicking around all summer, but it has a few pages that gives tips on how to make your own video game for those who have no experience. And of course, it lists a bunch of nice software and tools that you should try out. Some are going to be a bit harder to master for some people than others, but remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Feel free to reply with any additional links you might have for software, and tools that may be helpful to beginners.

The following is all quoted from the PC Gamer issue picture on your left.



Game Creation Software


Game Maker 7.0
Game Maker is an excellent piece of free software ($20 gets you more functionality). It does what it purports to, allowing you to create relatively complex 2D games with very little knowledge of programming, though it does contain a simple scripting language for more complex operations.
There is, of course, some learning to do - but it's no more difficult than mastering a new game, and part of the reason I recommend Game Maker to beginners is its excellent community and very complete set of tutorials.
http://tinyurl.com/234g9f

RPG Toolkit
While it doesn't have the most refined interface, RPG Toolkit is pretty flexible, and aids in the creation of 2D isometric RPGs. The hard stuff has been taken care of for the most part, leaving you to work out the graphics and scripted events. There's also a decent selection of tutorials on the site to help you get started.
http://tinyurl.com/clzvcq

Byond
Byond is an interesting tool which allows you to create small online games with relative ease. You're going to have to learn a bit more in the way of coding than you would with something like Game Maker or RPG Maker, but if you absolutely must make an online game, this is probably the easiest way.
http://www.byond.com

M.U.G.E.N.
M.U.G.E.N. is a very popular customizable fighting engine. It's a bit less flexible than the previous entries, as your task mostly involves making new fighters and their moves (a lot of graphics and animation work). The most popular trend with M.U.G.E.N. is ripping animations from existing fighting games and building custom versions of those character. For help using M.U.G.E.N., check out www.mugenguild.com
http://tinyurl.com/9cds9p

DarkBASIC
DarkBASIC is a version of the Basic programming language built around DirectX. As its name implies, it's fairly easy to learn. But online tutorials help make creating a quality game even easier. The full version is priced at a reasonable $39.99. Get information at http://darkbasic.thegamecreators.com.
http://tinyurl.com/dgh8tm

Blender
Blender is a free, open source 3D modeling, animation, and game design program. Since you're dealing with 3D game creation, the learning curve is very high. For someone who isn't frustrated or deterred easily, Blender can be a great way to get into 3D design. Just be sure you're willing to spend a lot of time reading tutorials and learning through trial and error. Just because it's free doesn't mean it's shoddy.
http://www.blender.org

Flash CS3
Flash is a robust and widely used application for creating professional games, interfaces, applications, and designs for the web. It contains its own scripting language called ActionScript, which isn't too difficult for beginners. Getting comfortable with Flash will require more studying than some of the other software listed here, but once you understand it, Flash's flexibility will help your concepts become a reaily. Unfortunately, professional software comes with a professional price tag. Luckily, you can get started with the free trial before committing to the $699 required for the full version.
http://tinyurl.com/2azsjv

Microsoft Visual C++, Game Creators GDK
For the serious enthusiast, Microsoft has released "express" versions of Visual C++, Visual Basic, The Game Creators GDK, and Xbox 360 XNA development kit. If you don't have any programming experience, don't expect to have something built in 20 minutes. A lot of stuff goes into making a game, so start off with something simple like printing "Hello World". Don't be discouraged! Familiarizing yourself with the basics is the first step in your game-making journey.
http://tinyurl.com/2h9yma



More Game Creation Tools

Adventure Games


3D Adventure Studio: Create basic point-and-click games like King's Quest and Day of the Tentacle. You know, the kinds of classic adventures that made you love PC gaming in the first place. http://3das.noeska.com

Adventure Builder: A basic DOS/WIN text adventure creator. http://tinyurl.com/cq3gks

Adventure Game Engine: A nice adventure game engine for creating first-person adventure games in the style of Myst. http://www.twilightsoftware.com/age

Adventure Maker: The most notable feature of this toolkit is its ability to create games for the PSP and iPhone. The full set of features will cost you $69 ($139 for commercial use). http://adventuremaker.com

Adept: An adventure game toolkit to help you make your own. http://tinyurl.com/dgtbjh

Alan: A great program for creating interactive fiction for your online adventure. http://welcome.to/alan-if

Aiee!: A simple interface for designing and playing text adventures. http://markdamonhughes.com/aiee

Muces: The Multichoice Creation System essentially allows for the creation of interactive fiction in which the player chooses actions from a list. Ironically, the system appears to have been made in Game Maker, making it a meta game creator of sorts. http://tinyurl.com/cf2x57

Wintermute Engine: A very feature rich graphical adventure game creator. http://dead-code.org/home

Adrift: A simple interactive fiction toolkit which allows you to create and run text games. http://tinyurl.com/c88nxm

Interax: Create first-person adventure games with no scripting. http://tinyurl.com/cugt3f

Sludge: A simple scripting language for creating adventure games. It isn't the most intuitive option, but it is definitely functional. http://tinyurl.com/ctbjao


RPGs

RPG Toolkit Development System: A free, open source system for creating RPGs. http://tinyurl.com/clzvcq

Sphere: Sphere requires quite a bit of scripting, but with that comes a lot of flexibility. The engine is ideal for FInal Fantasy style RPGs. http://tinyurl.com/c2th58

Official Hamster Republic RPG Construction Engine: This one has been around for ages, and for good reason - it's a great option and has maintained an active community of developers for years. http://tinyurl.com/52ms7k


General 2D


Clean Game Library:Clean is a programming language/compiler, not a simple game creation system. The sample games made with this software look impressive and will motivate you to get your learn on. http://tinyurl.com/cwg2hq

Scrolling Game Development Kit: A complex but learnable toolset for the creation of side-scrolling games. http://tinyurl.com/d67zgd


General 3D


3DCakewalk: A 3D game engine with a healthy helping of prewritten code, as well as the option to write your own scripts in Python. http://www.3dcakewalk.com

The 3D Game Maker: "Make Horror games with 3rd person controls and scare yourself silly!" This one's so simple that it's more of a game itself than a toolkit. Check it out if you want to keep your studying to a minimum. http://tinyurl.com/7jatc3

3D Rad: The supposed "high-quality rendering" is a bit dated, but 3D Rad is nevertheless a functional 3D game engine and creation toolkit. According to the site's front page, the download is a 30-day trial, but the download page proclaims "The 3D Rad free download be used freely for commercial and noncommercial purposes." http://www.3drad.com

Antiryad GX: A solid, free 3D game engine. http://www.arkham-development.com

Game Studio: According to the site, "Game authoring never was easier." That may not be entirely true, but Game Studio is worth checking out - even Atari was in on it. The programming langue - Lite-C - was designed to be quick and easy, and the system can produce some very nice looking games. http://tinyurl.com/d3ajhb

Silent Walk FPS Creator: A clean, simple, and friendly FPS development kit. Unless you register your copy (for $24.99), your game will contain big watermarks. http://tinyurl.com/ce4d8m

Reality Factor: Several applications aimed at creatives who don't want to touch a line of code. The graphics aren't top of the line, but it's worth checking out. http://tinyurl.com/ynoh2k

Realm Crafter: Realm Crafter gives you a large set of tools to ease the difficulty of building an MMO. Try the sample game that comes with the demo before you commit to purchasing the full version. http://www.realmcrafter.com



Creating Graphics

Image Editors


MS Paint: A classic. While not a paticularly powerful image editing package, Paint is plenty good enough to create simple sprites. The best way to learn how to create good-looking sprites is to study existing ones in games like Street Fighter or A Link to the Past.

GIMP: GIMP is an open source Linux image editing program, and is one of the best. A fellow named Jernej Simoncic created Windows binaries for us non-Linux-using rubes. http://www.gimp.org

Paint.NET: A free, open source image editing tool, Paint.NET is not a bad choice for those on a tight budget (such as a budget of no dollars). http://www.getpaint.net


3D Modeling


SoftImage|XSI Mod Tool: Softimage offers a free version of their professional modeling tool for hobbyists. The same software Valve used to create the models for Half-Life 2 is free for you to play with - and with Valve's plug-in, you can export your models for use in Souce engine mods. http://tinyurl.com/3mk33m

Milkshape 3D: Milkshape is a very decent shareware modeler. It is less complex than previously mentioned programs, but that makes it a bit easier for beginners to grasp. http://tinyurl.com/cto422